Monday, June 27, 2011

Peanut Butter Playdough

Mix equal parts (I used 1 cup) of peanut butter, dry milk, and honey. When smooth, cover and refrigerate for one hour. Let your kids play away- mine had fine using pretzels, chocolate chips, and coconut to make strange creatures then ate the tasty results.

Sopapilla Pie

I made this for a ward party and I don't think I've ever had so many people ask me for a recipe. This one is shockingly easy.

Sopapilla Pie
2 rolls of refrigerated crescent dough
2 (8oz) bricks of cream cheese, room temp.
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup honey
sugar and cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Lightly press 1 roll of crescent dough into bottom of pan. With a hand mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread over dough. Press second roll of crescent dough over cream cheese mixture (I rolled mine out with a rolling pin in a little flour first.). Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, then bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or so until golden brown. While hot, drizzle with honey. Let cool completely, cut into squares, and serve.

This would be delicious with nuts in the filling, or served with ice cream and chocolate syrup or caramel.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Noodles, Noodles, Noodles

No, I'm not dead. I've just been on a "lean-out" getting ready for a race, so there hasn't been much going on in the kitchen. Thankfully, pasta is back in my diet, and I've got a few recipes to share.

Teriyaki Pasta Salad
1 pound bow tie pasta, cooked according to package directions
craisins
honey-roasted peanuts
green onions
chicken
sesame seeds
sliced water chestnuts
mandarin oranges
Sauce:
2/3 cup teriyaki
2/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup oil
2-4 tablespoons sugar

I assume you know how to make a pasta salad. Knock yourself out.
One note: the flavor of the sauce mellows a lot over time. I usually cook the noodles and combine with the sauce and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, then toss in the remaining ingredients just before serving.




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Summer Soba Noodles
8 oz. soba (buckwheat) noodles (sub spaghetti if you like)
1 cup edamame
1 cup shredded carrots
2 Tbs. sesame seeds
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 T reduced sodium soy sauce
2 T canola oil
2 T hot water
1 T rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1T honey
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again.
Toss the cooked noodles with edamame, carrots, and sesame seeds, set aside.
Mix remaining ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth. Toss into noodle mixture. I like my peanut sauces a little sweet, so I added a little sugar to taste.





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Curry Cellophane Noodles

I'll be honest...this one was not my favorite. Bruce loved it, however, so it makes the cut.

1 3.75 oz. pkg. cellophane/bean thread noodles
1 T cornstarch
1 cup light coconut milk
1 T canola oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 red pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. pork chops, cut into bite size pieces
1 Tbs. lime juice
1 Tbs. chopped cilantro

Soak noodles in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and keep warm. (Like any of these recipes, you can sub any noodle you like.)
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and coconut milk, set aside.
Heat oil in a small pan. Add pork and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion, saute 2 minutes. Add red pepper, garlic, ginger, green onions, curry, and salt; cook 2 minutes more, or until pork is no longer pink inside.
Create a well in the center of pan, then add milk mixture and lime juice. Heat 30 seconds or until it starts to thicken, mix with rest of the ingredients. Cook 1 minutes. Serve over noodles, sprinkled with cilantro.

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Pizza Crust

I love King Arthur Flour's website. I made the pizza crust the other night and it was a winner.

Here's the link for you.

I wanted a crispy crust so I cooked my crust for the 8 minutes then flipped it over before I added the toppings: carmelized onions, pears, pecans, craisins, feta, and just enough mozzarella to hold everything on. Delicious. Still delicious the next morning, cold.

The girls had pepperoni. Boring, but delicious to them.

P.S. Sometimes I will skip a rising or a resting when making bread...I fail to properly manage my time or I tell myself it doesn't matter, but really, it does. For the crust to stretch to the pan right, you have to press it out a little, let it rest, press it out a little, let it rest, and so on until it keeps its shape. Be patient! and the bread will be your reward.

Monday, February 28, 2011

If you are mad I haven't updated lately...

It's because of this amazing cookbook.

My friend Steph recommended it and I don't even bother putting it away with my other cookbooks because I constantly use it. And, if I only liked one or two recipes I would happily repost them on my blog, but putting 30 of their recipes on my blog just seems a little rude.

This book is worth every cent of the purchase price so just get one for yourself.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Cherry Cake Pudding

Cherry Cake Pudding
from Pioneer Woman

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 T butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 can cherries in syrup (NOT cherry pie filling!) drained, juice reserved
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

Sauce:
1 cup juice from cherries (add water to make 1 cup if necessary)
1 cup sugar
1 T flour
1 T butter
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a square 9x9 baking dish.

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to mixing bowl alternatively with milk. Add cherries and nuts and mix gently. Pour batter into buttered dish and smooth out surface. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer jiggly (Mine took about 47 minutes).

While cake is baking, make the sauce by whisking together juice, sugar, and flour in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 8-10 minutes, until thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Drizzle 1/3 of the sauce on the cake as soon as you remove it from the oven. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining sauce and whipped cream.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Oatmeal Bread


I found a recipe for delicious looking oatmeal molasses rolls, and in the intro, the blog author posted that she wasn't an experienced bread maker and she had made a few modifications to the recipe (the original was James Beard). So I made the rolls which had great flavor but were dense and hard little rocks. When will I learn???? After my roll failure I googled the James Beard Oatmeal Molasses Bread and gave the concept a second attempt with the un-polluted recipe- it was a delicious success.

So, although I'm a confessed recipe manipulator, take my advice and leave this one as is.

Oatmeal Bread
by James Beard

2 packages active dry yeast (or 5 tsp)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup lukewarm water (110-115 degrees)
1/3 cup butter
1 cup boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup molasses
1 T salt
1 egg
5-5 1/2 cups bread flour (I used white)

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup lukewarm water. Let stand for 10 minutes then stir well. Place butter and boiling water in bowl of mixer and stir until completely melted. Add rolled oats, molasses and salt. Mix thoroughly and cool to lukewarm (don't skip this- you want the oats to dissolve a little). Add the yeast mixture to the oat mixture, followed by the egg, then flour. (Dough should pull away from sides but still stick to the bottom of mixing bowl).

Put the dough in a greased mixing bowl, turning so all sides are greased, then cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Turn out the chilled dough on a floured work surface (I skip the flour and lightly spray my counter with cooking spray). Shape into 2 loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover with a dish towel and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake bread until loaves are nicely browned (here's my only point of contention with the recipe: It said the loaves would take an hour to cook, and mine were done in 42 minutes. Be advised.). Remove bread from pans and cool on a rack, brushing tops with butter if desired.

To my friends who are SAF yeast users (like me): I did switch up the dough making just a hair since I don't proof my yeast: I heated both cups of water to boiling and poured it over the butter, sugar, molasses, salt, and oats, then cooled to lukewarm. Then I added the yeast, egg, and flour.

Caprese Pasta

Caprese Pasta
from Family Circle

1 pound cavatappi pasta (or any short tube shape)
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T capers (I left these out)
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
1 cup fresh basil, chopped or torn into small pieces

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Serve warm or cold. (We ate it hot for dinner, and I ate the leftovers cold for lunch the next day and both were delicious. Also, spring for the best balsamic vinegar you can find- it really makes a difference.)

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Chipotle Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Chipotle Chicken Cheesesteaks

12 oz chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper (any color), diced
2 tsp/2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 T chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 cup grated cheese
4 buns
1 T oil

Over medium high heat, saute chicken in oil. Remember your saute "rules:" Don't crowd the pan and don't stir too frequently. When chicken is cooked through, remove to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. To same pan add peppers and onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken back into pan, seasoning with salt and thyme. For the chipotle chiles: you will have to buy a little can of these in the Mexican food aisle. For mild or medium sandwiches, just stir in a tablespoon of the sauce only for a great smoky flavor. For a little more heat, also pull out one chile, finely dice it, and stir that in as well. Reserve the remaining chiles and sauce for another use (I usually divide the remnants into 3 or 4 tiny tupperwares and freeze for later). Sprinkle meat mixture with cheese, remove from heat and cover with lid. When cheese is melted serve on buns.

Jicama Salad

I think the best gifts make you feel like the giver REALLY KNOWS you, and the worst gifts make you wonder who in the hell the giver thinks you are.
Some might think the gift of a giant jicama is a little strange, but my SIL Tiff knows how much I love jicama, so this was a welcome surprise.

I brought it all the way home from Phoenix and crafted this tasty salad.

Jicama Salad

1 extremely large jicama, or 2 medium

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup ranch dressing

2 T barbecue sauce

2 T vinegar (apple cider, red wine...something light colored)

cilantro and Ranchero (queso fresco) cheese for garnish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together ranch, BBQ, and vinegar. Add corn, beans, and peeled and diced jicama. Garnish with fresh cilantro and crumbled Mexican cheese.